Team FANG
by omega343
Summary: A rough team is assembled from late-arrival students at Beacon just before the Vytal Festival. A wolf, ranger, defender, and songbird will change the course of history, in small ways and big, for better and worse. OC team, some focus on Team RWBY as well.
1. Chapter 1

FANG

"Well," Ozpin said, taking in Geal's new attire, "Our friend was correct, you do clean up well."

The wolf Faunus looked incredibly uncomfortable in his school uniform, with his shoulder-length bone-white hair pulled back in to a short ponytail.

"Thank you, sir," Geal said with a bow, "I'm grateful to have this opportunity."

"Of course, young man," Ozpin said with a small smile, "But please understand, I do not want you engaging in any of your more…clandestine, activities while you are here at Beacon."

"I understand sir," Geal said, standing up even straighter than before, "I would be more than willing to answer to you if the need arises."

"Oh no, young man. You won't be answering to me," Ozpin said with a slight shake of his head, "You'll be answering to…"

"Me," Glynda interrupted, "And trust me, your punishment will be, severe," She said, punctuating her statement with a crack of her riding crop, causing Geal to yelp.

"I promise not to do anything that would make that happen, ma'am," Geal said as he shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Very well," Ozpin said, taking a sip of his coffee before continuing, "Since you're joining late, we haven't finished assembling a team for you. For now, please familiarize yourself with the campus and find your classes."

"Yes sir," Geal said, picking up his pack, "Thank you again." 

* * *

Later that day, Geal sat quietly, carefully reading his textbook, and doing his best to figure out what the text meant. Suddenly, someone plopped down in the chair next to him, but he didn't outwardly react. Instead he sniffed the air and listened for any other cues that could help him determine what this stranger might want.

"Hello there!" The girl exclaimed, "Whacha reading?"

"Uh," Geal mumbled, glancing over at the young, red hooded, silver eyed girl, "My textbook, trying to figure it out."

"Having some trouble?" Ruby asked, cocking her head as she studied the book, "Cause you've been on the same page for a few minutes."

"Uh, yeah I guess I am." Geal mumbled, turning his attention back to the page.

There was a moment of silence.

"Blake, he's pulling a you," Ruby stage-whispered, "What do I do?"

Geal looked over to see Blake, Yang, and Weiss at a nearby table; and Blake looked like she'd seen a ghost. Geal's eyes sharpened and he returned his attention to his text book.

"Uh," Ruby said as she glanced between the two, "Do you two know each other?"

"No, just nice to see another Faunus," Geal said, causing team RWBY to look at him in shock, "I can smell that she's a Faunus."

"Can you do that Blake?" Yang asked her partner.

"Well, sort of," Blake mumbled, "I can smell much better than humans, but he's a canine, so his sense of smell is extremely strong."

"Lupine," Geal corrected, "I'm a wolf Faunus."

"So, uh…wolf?" Ruby asked.

"Geal," He corrected.

"That's cool," Ruby said as she watched the Faunus read his textbook, then offered, "Do you want some help?"

"Uh, if it's not too much of a problem," Geal said, leaning back in resignation.

"No problem," Ruby said, "Where are you stuck?" Geal pointed to a line, and Ruby examined the line for a second, "Is it the 'not readily susceptible to mental manipulation' part?" Geal nodded, "They can't be tricked or controlled basically."

"Oh, thank you Ruby," Geal said, looking back to the book, mumbling, "They could've just written **that**."

"Did you not understand the words?" Ruby asked quietly.

"Not a lot of time to study language, where I grew up," Geal stated, "Some words are new."

"Well, I'm sure we can help you, right gang?" Ruby said heroically.

"Uh, why?" Yang asked.

"Well, he needs our help, and Huntresses help people, right?" Ruby said, confusing herself somewhat in the process.

"Its fine Ruby, I don't want to waste your, or your teams, time," Geal said, turning his attention back to his textbook.

"We can revisit the issue later," Weiss stated, "We need to go to the amphitheater for our sparring sessions." 

* * *

"Excellent match Ruby, Norah," Glynda said with a nod to the two girls, then addressed the crowd, "Now, I believe we have a late addition to the class. Mr. Faol, would you like to come down and show us what you can do?"

Geal nodded, and went down into the arena.

"Now, based on your skill set, I believe that Ren would be a good match for you," Glynda gestured to the young man, who quickly made his way to the arena.

"Let's have a clean match, children," Glynda said as she stepped out of the arena.

Ren prepared himself, only to be surprised by having Geal bow to him. Ren bowed as well, and then they both got into their combat stance.

Ren dashed forward, firing the whole way. Geal responded by deftly dodging his shots, and putting one hand on the hilt of his blade. Just as Ren began to circle around Geal to continue firing, the Faunus dashed forward, drawing his blade at blinding speed. Despite having blocked the attack, Ren was still thrown back several paces. The moment the distance was clear, Geal's left hand flashed up, firing the large revolver as fast as he could. Ren took several direct hits, dropping his aura into the yellow, but he still managed to leap up and out of the way of two of the shots.

Geal sheathed his blade then quickly reloaded his revolver as Ren continued to fire as his leap carried him over his opponent. As Ren dropped down to attack Geal more directly, the wolf slashed up in attempt to throw Ren off his course. Geal wasn't quick enough, and was knocked to the ground as Ren landed several rapid drop-kicks on the Faunus. Once he had the advantage, Ren fired into Geal several times, dropping the Faunus' aura into the yellow.

Geal fixed Ren with a glare, spun out from under his attacker, and slashed several times with his blade. Surprised, Ren leapt out of the way, while Geal spun to keep his eyes on his opponent, but spun the wrong way, leaving him open to another slash from Ren. Ren saw the opportunity, and dashed forward, but Geal was expecting the attack.

As Ren dashed into range, Geal moved into his opponent, and smacked Ren upside the head with the butt of his gun. As Ren stumbled back in shock, Geal fired into his opponent as quickly as he could, managing to land all six shots dead center. Just as Ren was recovering, Geal drew his blade again, landing his strike with full force, and knocking Ren's aura into the red.

"The match is over," Glynda announced, "Well done you two."

Geal helped Ren back to his feet, and bowed to the other boy once again. Ren bowed back, and they both took their seats.

"Wow Ren, he took you down," Norah said, "You ok?"

"He adapts to his opponents fighting style very quickly," Ren observed, "I look forward to seeing him fight in the future."

"That was great Geal," Ruby said as the Faunus boy sat down near her, "Your fighting style seems a bit predictable though."

"What do you mean?" Geal asked.

"Well," Ruby said as she recalled the fight, "You did your blade quick-draw thing as an opener and a finisher; and whenever you managed to get some range on your enemy, you just shot at him."

"Well," Geal said with a huff, "I didn't want to give away everything I can do just yet. Besides, I usually try not fight my enemies on even ground like this."

"Enemies?" Yang asked, moving a bit closer to the Faunus.

"Grimm, bad guys, that sort of thing," Geal said as he focused on the next match, ignoring the strange looks he got from the rest of Team RWBY. 

* * *

"So," Geal said the next morning, observing the other three people in the bunk room, "The team is all together now."

"Yes, and I think we're gonna be good friends!" The blue haired girl responded, hefting a blue and red painted keytar onto her back. She was clad in dark blue cargo pants, a matching button up shirt, and a cream-colored leather jacket.

"Sure, go team," The green haired deer Faunus said as he finished unpacking a large beige duffle bag. He wore khakis, a green shirt, and a mixture of oak brown leather armor.

"Hmm," The tall, tan, dark-haired boy responded. He wore a black shirt, black pants, and was currently donning heavy silver plate armor trimmed in gold.

"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" The girl exclaimed, "My name is Nilima Cadence, and I love music. How about you?" Nilima asked, pointing to the deer Faunus.

"I'm Grün Gestirn," The green haired Faunus stated, "I'm a stag Faunus. I like the outdoors, I hunt occasionally, and I have a little sister attending Signal. That's why I came here from Sanctum."

"I'm Valens Argyros," The black haired, heavily armored human stated, "I'm coming in from Sanctum as well. I mostly train and study."

"Geal Faol." The wolf Faunus stated, as he changed out of his uniform and into his combat gear; which consists of olive drab cargo pants, a grey undershirt, and brown duster, "I grew up in the wilds. I mostly train and study as well, but I do a bit of hunting occasionally."

"Cool," Nilima said with a big smile, "So, what do you guys think of Vale so far?" The group gave a collective shrug, "Jeez, you guys are boring. I'll fix that!" She said as she swung her keytar down from her back and began to play an upbeat, and loud, tune.

"She's not wrong," Grün said just loud enough to be heard above the music. 

* * *

"Alright guys, are you ready to do this thing?" Nilima yelled, holding Forte, her keytar, high as their team made their way to the proving grounds.

"What is it we're doing?" Valens asked as they arrived at the edge of a cliff, "Cause there's just some launch pads here."

"Good morning children," Professor Ozpin said as he walked up to them, Glynda in tow, "Now, I'm sure you've heard a bit about our initiation from the other teams. Let me assure you that this will be similar to what you've heard."

"The objective is to retrieve two relics from the temple ruins in the forest, and deliver them to the bastion," Glynda explained, pointing out over the trees to a greyish area in the mist, "Finding those areas will be up to you."

"Take your positions," Ozpin said, and the four students took their positions on the various launch pads, "Good luck." With that, the students were launched one-by-one into the forest. 

* * *

As he fell, Geal fired all six shots with his revolver, spun, drew his blade, and caught the edge of a tree with it. Luckily, he managed to use that to lose momentum, but lost his blade somewhere behind him. He howled and grabbed the next tree with his claws, spinning down it and finally stopping his fall. He looked back up to where Tsume, his blade, was, and groaned when he realized it was easily another 10 meters above him.

Meanwhile, Valens crashed through three trees with his shield before finally whipping his falchion out and catching it solidly in a tree. He flipped up onto a large branch, saw Geal crash unceremoniously into the trees, and grumbled as he moved in the direction of his would-be teammate.

Nilima laughed as she played Forte most of the way down, then suddenly, with a blast of sound, slowed herself dramatically, and slowed to a stop using the blade of her weapon on a tree. Once on the ground, she whistled as she played a little tune on her keytar, and set off in search of her other teammates.

Grün flipped his staff around into a bow, knocked a grappling arrow, and fired. Once secured, he used it to spin around down a tree. Without stopping, he hit the ground running, disappearing amongst the pines as he went in search of his allies.

Geal had managed to shoot Tsume down with Unari, and sheathe the blade. He kept Unari drawn as he moved carefully through the thick forest, sticking to the shadows, and sniffing the air for any signs of Grimm. He heard, more than smelled, Valens approaching, but he also heard something else moving towards Valens. He immediately decided to circle around his teammate, and ambush the would-be-ambusher.

Valens heard, at the last second, the Beowulf move towards him, and he spun to catch the initial strike on his shield. The large claw rocked him as he caught it on his shield, and looked up past his shield at the massive Beowulf. He gulped as he realized he had probably bitten off more than he could chew. Valens rolled backwards, narrowly avoided the next strike, flipped his falchion into a shotgun, and fired twice into the Beowulf. The enraged creature roared, and charged. Valens steeled himself and sprinted into a charge as well. Just as they met, Valens focused all his aura into himself, and two shining silver copies of him appeared on either side of him. In combination, Valens and his two clones, managed to stop the Beowulf cold.

Just as Valens' clones were about to falter, there was a flash of white, and the Beowulf collapsed onto its stomach. Valens grunted and pushed the limp monster off his shield. Geal was standing on the back of its neck, his blade stuck deep into the base of the beast's skull.

"Nice semblance," Geal observed as he pulled Tsume free, "Your tactics need work though."

"I had that under control," Valens snapped back, "Have you seen the others?"

"Of course you did," Geal said, annoying Valens even more, "And if I had found them, wouldn't they be here?"

"Alright," Valens grumbled as he stormed off into the woods, "Let's just go."

"You're too loud," Geal said as he moved quietly alongside his partner, "Try moving more quietly."

"Stealth is just another word for slow, and we need to regroup now," Valens said, not bothering to look at the wolf as he spoke.

"Regrouping won't matter if you attract the attention of every Grimm for miles," Geal said, shooting the shield-bearer a nasty look, "Or would you rather I leave you here to deal with them?"

"Can we just go?" Valens asked with a snort. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Grün stalked carefully through the trees, approaching a large clearing where he thought he'd heard music. He stopped at the edge of the clearing, and sighed as he saw Nilima standing on a large rock, playing her keytar, with a dozen dissolving Grimm scattered around her.

"Ya know," Grün yelled over her music as he approached her, "You're gonna draw every Grimm in the forest by doing that!"

Nilima laughed as she finished her chord, and hopped down off her rock.

"Well, they'd better be tougher than this lot," She said, emphasizing her point with a stern kick to one of the Grimm, "So, where do ya think we should go?"

"One second," Grün said as he sniffed the air, and then pointed off in one direction, "We're downwind of them, I can smell Valens from here."

"Yeah, his dude-perfume is strong," Nilima joked as she swung Forte back behind her, "So, that Geal is kinda weird huh?"

"He's not a normal Faunus," Grün stated as he carefully navigated his way towards the scent, "His scent is different than other canine or lupine Faunus I've met, and there's something else. He carries himself differently than most people we know."

"What do you mean?" Nilima asked idly as they walked.

"Well, have you noticed that he never enters or leaves a room first or last?" Grün mentioned as he picked up the scent of a Grimm, and navigated around it.

"Huh," Nilima thought for a second, "I guess he does do that."

"So, I'm guessing you didn't notice that his eyes never stop moving, like he's always on alert," Grün smelled the Grimm scent grow stronger, "Or that he doesn't always sleep in our dorm at night?"

"Really? He sleeps on the roof?" Nilima asked, as she heard something crash in the distance and readied Forte.

"No," Grün said as he flipped his staff into a bow, "I think he sleeps outside somewhere. We have maybe thirty seconds before those Ursa get here."

"How many?" Nilima asked casually, playing a few keys idly.

"Three if I had to guess," Grün said as the trees ahead of them shook, "Good sized."

"Meh," Nilima said with a shrug as three large Ursa came through the trees at them, "Fought bigger." 

* * *

"Is she throwing a concert?" Geal asked himself as he heard the music begin from almost a mile away.

"And you were worried I was making too much noise," Valens said with a wry chuckle.

"Quit whining, you're not much quieter," Geal said before dashing off towards the noise, a prickly Valens following close behind him. 

* * *

"I…don't know what to say," Grün said, as the last of the Ursa stumbled off into the forest in confusion from the devastating sound waves it had taken.

"Yeah, I admit I got a bit artsy with that last verse," Nilima said as another of the dying Ursa exploded, "But all in all I think it worked."

"No, I mean, they never even got within thirty feet of us!" Grün exclaimed as the last Ursa stopped twitching, "I only got two shots off!"

"Keep up dude," Nilima said with a big grin, "So, ya think Geal and Valens can find us now?"

"I think people in Atlas could find us with a reasonable degree of error right now," Grün said with a chuckle, "Was that your plan all along?"

"Duh," Nilima said, "Geal is all sneaky, and I bet Valens just charged off into the forest."

"Huh, good point," Grün said as he smelled Valens and Geal approach them.

Geal came out of the brush first, "Nilima, that was a bit much don't you think?" The wolf asked.

"Nah, it was just right," The blue haired girl said with a bright grin as Valens stumbled into the group as well.

"Well, we need to keep it tight and quiet from here on out, because the Grimm around here are undoubtedly alert now," Geal pointed out.

"Exactly, so here's what we need to do," Valens said, starting to form a plan, "We need to split into two groups; Nilima and I will go northwest, while you two go northeast, that way we can find the ruins and relics much quicker."

"No," Geal stated, getting a glare from Valens, "You and Nilima would quickly get lost in this terrain, whereas Grün and I can navigate it without difficulty. We need to stay together, with maybe one person scouting ahead."

"I'll take the front then," Grün offered, "I'll make two bird-calls for danger, one for clear, three if I spot the ruins."

"Good," Geal said with a nod, "In which case I'll be vanguard, Nilima your center. Please don't bust out the music unless it hits the fan."

"Got it." Nilima said with a nod.

"Valens, rear-guard," Geal said, then turned to go.

"Who made you team leader?" Valens asked as Grün moved off into the trees, "I don't remember taking a vote."

"I'm leading because I can get you out of this forest alive," Geal snarled, "That equation can change."

"Fine," Valens growled back, "But as soon as we're out of this forest, I'm looking for a new team."

"What'd I do?" Nilima asked sadly.

"I just don't want to be on a team with this jerk," Valens grumbled, pointing ahead to Geal, "You're ok though."

"So glad I rated an 'ok'," Nilima said sarcastically as they moved off into the woods. 

* * *

Several minutes later there were three bird calls, a long pause, and then two more.

"Alright, prepare for combat," Geal said, "Nilima, if it's anything bigger than an Ursa, feel free to do what you do."

"Woo!" Nilima said, "I hope they're ready for some Klein!"

"Eww," Geal said, shaking his head in disgust.

"No, gross! Klein was a classical composer from the early industrial era," Nilima clarified.

"Oh," Geal said, still somewhat confused, "Just get ready."

"Yeah, got it," Nilima said as Valens brooded a bit more.

They carefully moved through the brush, and spotted Grün who motioned for Geal to move up. The wolf moved silently forward, and groaned inwardly as he spotted the Death Stalker. After studying the scene a few seconds longer, he and Grün silently moved back to the other two.

"There's a Death Stalker," Geal stated, earning a groan from the other two who hadn't yet seen the creature, "They aren't invincible, so we can still do this. Besides, all we need are the relics it's guarding, Grün and I can dash in there and grab them, then all we have to do is lose the thing in the forest on our way to the bastion."

"Why don't we just kill it?" Nilima asked.

"That's easier said than done," Grün said, "Based on what I've learned, a Death Stalkers armor is nearly impregnable to anything short of heavy artillery."

"Gotcha covered," Nilima said with a grin, hefting her weapon, "Forte and I are all the artillery you need."

"I dunno," Geal said, sniffing her a couple times, "Isn't your aura a bit low after dealing with those Ursa?"

"Now that you mention it, I am getting a bit tired," Nilima said with a yawn, "Maybe the artillery needs a nap."

"No time," Geal said with a shake of his head, "Is there any way you can use your semblance to aid us without exhausting yourself?"

"Well, I suppose I could like, make you guys faster or something," Nilima said thoughtfully.

"Good, do that if possible," Geal said, then looked to Valens, "Do you think that you and Nil can distract it while we nab those artifacts?"

"Yeah," Valens grumbled as he hefted his shield and falchion.

"Grün," Geal said, pointing to the deer Faunus, "Help me grab one of the artifacts, then try to nail that thing in the eyes," Grün nodded in acknowledgement, "Ready?" Geal asked his team, and they all nodded.

Valens and Nilima dashed out of the forest and into the clearing, immediately attracting the attention of the Death Stalker. While they did that, Grün and Geal snuck around behind the beast, and searched for the artifacts. Valens deflected the initial stinger strike from the Death Stalker with his shield, and then managed to parry the beast's claw swipe with his falchion. Valens slashed at the Stalkers pincer to keep the large creature off balance, but unfortunately, he only managed to piss off the Grimm. He focused, and created two of his defender clones just in time to block the Stalkers next strike. Just as Valens was beginning to struggle with dealing with the Stalker, he heard a loud blast of music from behind him, and felt invigorated.

Meanwhile, the other two found the artifacts; two small statues of heroes past which stowed away easily into their packs. Geal glanced back at the Death Stalker, noting that Valens and Nilima were doing a good job of holding off the beast.

"They can't keep that up for long," Grün stated, "What's the plan?"

Geal took in the situation, briefly entertained the idea of leaving Valens behind, and then put something together.

"Weak points are the eyes and the stinger," Geal stated, drawing his weapons, "You hit the eyes, I'll handle the stinger. Once it's blinded, we get the hell out of here."

Grün nodded as Geal dashed forward, leapt up, and caught hold of the monster's tail. At the same time, Grün leapt past Geal, firing two shots from his bow down into the Grimm's eyes, causing it to flail, and giving Valens some much needed breathing room. Geal hacked away at the stinger with his blade, but was having a hard time being effective while it was thrashing around. Grün managed to blind a couple more of its eyes, and then pull away from the beast with Valens. Just as Geal started making progress, the Stalker threw its tail forward, throwing the wolf off. Geal growled, spun, fired three shots at the spot he'd been hacking at, and managed to hit all three times, causing the stinger to detach and fall uselessly to the ground.

Geal barked "Move!" And they were off.

"It's still back there!" Grün yelled as he caught up to the other three students, who were still moving at break-neck speed towards the stone bastion rising above the trees ahead of them.

"It won't stop, let's just kill it!" Valens shouted.

"We get to the bastion and we won't need to kill it," Geal insisted, "We attack something like that head on and chances are someone dies."

"Team JNPR did it!" Valens countered.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Geal asked, "Without Nilima at maximum effectiveness we don't have a powerhouse to pull it off."

"He's right," Nilima added, "Escaping would be less risky."

They skidded to a stop before the chasm separating them from what was left of the bastion. There was no bridge to the grey structure rising from the mist below, and they all turned to face the inevitable. They could still hear the Death Stalker crashing through the forest towards them, but it hadn't broken the tree-line yet.

"New plan," Geal stated.

"Run more?" Valens asked sarcastically, "I'm getting real sick of your plans."

"You'll like this one," Geal said. 

* * *

Just as the Death Stalker cleared the tree line, the group had gotten into position. Grün and Geal fired everything they could, causing the Death Stalker to charge them at full speed. Just as it was about to close to melee range, they jumped over it, revealing Valens and Nilima. Both dropped to the ground just as it crashed over them, and Nilima blasted it with a powerful wave of sound just as it was about to finish passing over them. The beast was unable to quickly stop its charge due to the force of being thrown towards the edge of the cliff by the sound wave. The moment he found his feet, Valens charged the beasts back. As he connected with the beast, Valens activated his semblance, tripling the force of his charge, and sending the monster the last few meters over the edge.

Valens went wide eyed as he realized he'd hit it too hard, and was about to go over the edge himself. He spun, trying desperately to grab the edge, to no avail, and began to drop. In a white flash, Geal dashed forward, down the side of the cliff, and grabbed Valens outstretched hand just as he stuck his blade into the cliff face. They screeched to a halt, and Geal looked down at Valens, who nodded. Valens put his shield back with one hand, drew his shotgun, and fired several times, giving him just enough of a boost for Geal to throw him back up to the top. Geal ascended quickly using his claws, and the group reassembled.

"Be honest," Valens said breathlessly, "You planned that."

"Not at all," Geal stated with a shake of his head, "If I'd known you would go over, I would've let Grün save you."

"Speaking of which," Grün said, firing a rope line across to the bastion, "I hope no one is afraid of heights." 

* * *

"Well done," Ozpin said as the team assembled in his office, "I'm sorry we aren't having an official ceremony, but these are unusual circumstances," He smiled at the assembled students, all of whom were beaming with pride, "Henceforth, you shall be known as Team FANG, led by Geal Faol," He smiled, "Congratulations."

"Thank you, sir." The team said in unison.

"Now," Ozpin said, taking his seat, "If you wish to be approved for the Vytal festival, please speak with Mrs. Goodwitch."

"Now then children," Glynda said, stepping purposefully in front of the newly minted team, "You have a lot of work to do." 

* * *

Notes

Tea G: Faol Argyros Nilima Grün

Weapons

Unari & Tsume: Unari & Tsume: Geal's primary weapon is Unari, a powerful revolver left to him by his father Nahas. It is extremely rugged, difficult to damage, and can channel his aura/semblance into energy shots. Geal has added a straight edged tanto-style long-blade his arsenal, Tsume, which can fold down into a wakazashi if necessary. If the two weapons are paired up, they become a rifle.

Ineptus & Aegis: Valen's falchion and shield. Ineptus can transform into a high-powered, short ranged, shotgun. Aegis is a large, Spartan-style shield that can deploy a razor edge. It can also be fired from the user's arm, and is attached by razor wire to Valen's arm.

Forte: Nilima Cadence's keytar weapon, it is bladed on one side, and can transform into a heavy machine gun, flamethrower, or mini-rocket launcher. Its main purpose is to channel Nilima's semblance, which it does extremely well. This allows her to do anything from empower her allies, harm her enemies, change the weather, and much more!

Vormund: Grün's quarterstaff, which can be transformed into a bow, handed down from his father. The bow can fire normal arrows, or energy coated arrows using Grün's aura. With the energy arrows, Grün can use his semblance to control the attack or manipulate kinetic energy around the arrow.

 **A/N: This is the rewrite/updated version of this chapter. Mostly because I wasn't in love with the first version I posted. If you like it, please favorite it and leave a comment. If you didn't like it, comment anyways please. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

Stuck Together

"And then Yang fell from the ceiling!" Ruby exclaimed, jumping up onto the table in front of her, causing team FANG to flinch.

"You could say I made quite the Yang!" The blonde huntress exclaimed.

"Oh lord," Weiss grumbled.

"You're just embarrassed because you had to fight with a fish," Blake said, causing team FANG to chuckle at the heiress.

"Sorry we missed it," Geal said, then looked to his team, "Are things usually like this at the lower level combat schools?"

"Not even close," Valens said, causing Grün to nod in agreement.

"Sounds boring," Nilima said as she strummed Forte idly.

"You didn't go to a combat school before beacon?" Grün asked, and the blue haired songstress laughed.

"Of course not," Nilima said as she finished her laugh, "I trained plenty with my parents while we were on tour."

"Touring what?" Blake asked, looking at her team for an answer.

"I thought you looked familiar," Weiss said suddenly, getting everyone's attention, "Her parents used to be Huntsmen here in Vale, but retired to pursue their musical career."

"Oh, I think I have an album or two of theirs," Yang said, smacking herself in the forehead, "Sorry, I shoulda caught that."

"But, how'd you get into Beacon?" Ruby asked, "It's supposed to be super hard without transcripts."

"She killed three big Ursa before they could get halfway to us," Grün stated, causing the other team to stare at Nilima.

"Wow," Ruby said looking to Nilima, "You're almost as strong as Yang."

"Almost?" Nilima said, finally taking her attention off Forte.

"She punched a giant robot to death," Ruby bragged, and Yang shook her head.

"We should definitely spar," Nilima said, standing up and giving Yang a sly smile, "Ready to do this blondie?"

"Only if there's candlelight," Yang quipped, smiling back at Nilima.

"Never mind, you're my new favorite person," Nilima said, dropping into a chair next to the boxer, "Sorry Grün."

"What?" Grün asked, then the PA crackled to life.

"Team FANG, please report to my office immediately," Mrs. Goodwitch's voice demanded, then the intercom cut out.

"We should go," Geal said as he shot to his feet, then looked to team RWBY, "We'll catch up with you guys later." 

* * *

"Children," Mrs. Goodwitch said as team FANG lined up before her in her office, "You haven't yet had any experience beyond your initial trial, so it's been decided that you'll be given a scouting mission. You will assess the Grimm situation in Forever Fall under professor Port's supervision. You will begin tomorrow at dawn, and return at dusk." Then she looked to Geal, "And you will not leave the area before you're told, clear?"

"Yes ma'am," The team responded in unison.

"Then you are dismissed," Mrs. Goodwitch said, returning her attention to the paperwork draping her mahogany desk, "Good luck."

"Should be interesting," Grün said once they left the office, "Might give us some time to talk."

"Not the mission," Geal stated.

"He's right, we should focus on identifying the threat," Valens agreed, causing the others to stop in their tracks.

"Grün, do you smell toast?" Nilima asked, causing her stag teammate to sniff the air.

"No, I think they really agreed with each other," Grün said, then chuckled as both Valens and Geal glared at their other two teammates, "Now I know this mission will be interesting." 

* * *

"And that was the fifth time I saved my village from certain destruction!" Professor Port concluded with a bellowing laugh.

"Incredible," Geal said as they passed beneath the crimson trees of the Forever Fall.

"Yeah, that's something," Nilima said, stifling a yawn as the other two members of team FANG did the same.

"Well, loyal students, this is where our mission begins!" Port proclaimed, twirling his bushy white moustache as he examined the area, "How do you think we should proceed mister Faol?" The wolf Faunus continued examining the area until the professor cleared his throat with a rumble.

"Right," Geal said shaking his head quickly, then focusing on his team, "Grün, why don't you take Valens and Nilima east and then north. Professor Port and I will swing the other direction and then meet you back here in four hours or so."

"Marvelous!" Nilima exclaimed, causing the professor to raise one bushy brow at her, "That way I can get to know these guys better?"

"Ah, of course, child," Port said, then stroked his moustache thoughtfully, "Though you will be missing out on more of my invaluable experience."

"That's alright professor," Geal said, then smiled up at the large man, "It's my job as team leader to pass on your knowledge to them."

"Quite right!" Port exclaimed as he and Geal set off on their quest.

"So, professor, what're your thoughts on Faunus?" Geal asked as they set off, throwing a quick look to his teammates as they disappeared amongst the trees.

"New respect for him," Valens said, earning a chuckle from his teammates.

"Not sure I would've stayed awake much longer," Nilima said as she stifled another yawn, and they began to move ahead, "I should write him a song."

"Kind of a big gesture, isn't it?" Grün asked as he brushed a crimson leaf from his antlers.

"Nah, I wrote three yesterday," Nilima said as she swung her keytar down and began playing idly.

"Why would you want to be a Huntress if you can just write music?" Valens asked as he pulled his shield from his back and clipped it to his left gauntlet.

"It's what my parents did before their careers took off," Nilima said as she clicked a button and large multi-barreled weapon emerged from Forte, "It's a good job when you get paid to help people."

"What do you care, Valens?" Grün asked, idly twirling his staff as his eyes swept the scenery around them for any sign of danger.

"Just curious, I guess," Valens said as he turned to check behind them for any pursuing Grimm.

"Well, why do you want to be a Huntsman?" Nilima asked as she clicked a button and the barrels rotated, causing Grün to move just out of her potential line of fire.

"Same, it's in the family, and it lets me protect people," Valens replied, turning back to his team.

"Could've been a cop if you wanted to protect people," Nilima said as she clicked another button and the weapon disappeared back into Forte.

"Mom would never have it," Valens said, then smacked himself mentally as his teammates both looked back at him, "It's none of your business."

"Mommy issues, that's original," Nilima said dryly as she briefly entertained the idea of pressing the issue, then looked to Grün ahead of them, "What about you, buddy?"

"Like apparently everyone else, parents did it," Grun said as he flipped Vormund around into a bow and snapped a shot off at a lone Beowulf ahead, killing it instantly, "Then they died, and this was the best way to take care of my sister."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Nilima said, shoulders dropping as she played a sad melody on Forte.

"It's fine," Grün said, scanning for any of the Beowulf's compatriots, "Sanctum took care of me and my sister until she decided she wanted to be a Huntress too, and eventually go to Beacon."

"So, she's at Signal?" Valens asked, and he saw Grün nod ahead, "That's where my little sister wants to go when she's old enough."

"What's your sister like?" Nilima asked as her tune became more upbeat.

"She's eleven, energetic, and confrontational," Valens grumbled as he fussed with his shield.

"And mom's favorite, right?" Nilima asked, looking over her shoulder at the now tense shield-bearer, "Thought so."

"Why was I your favorite?" Grün asked Nilima as he made sure to change their path to avoid the nest of razorwasps he could hear ahead.

"Well, you seem like you actually have more going on than Mr. Lone Wolf," Nilima said, gesturing off in the direction Geal and Port had gone, then looked back at Valens, "Or Sgt. Tight-Ass for that matter."

"Sgt. Tight-Ass?" Valens growled while Grün tried not to draw every Grimm in the continent with his laughter.

"Geal is obviously from a nasty situation," Nilima said as she nearly tripped over a rock, "Probably raised himself in the Wilds. But you're just… here."

"Sorry to disappoint," Valens snarled as he glanced over his shoulder to see shadows move between the scarlet trees, "I think we have a few behind us."

"Only a few?" Nilima said, hefting Forte as the instrument opened up to reveal the three large barrels again.

"Can you do this without drawing more?" Grün asked, falling in at her shoulder as three Ursa approached them slowly.

"Spoilsport," Nilima said as she locked the weapon back into its normal 'form', "They're all yours boys."

"Melee only, Valens," Grün said as he drew his bow, "Go get'em."

Valens nodded, raised his shield, and charged.

The first Ursa charged as well, its hulking black mass ripping forward as its allies moved around either side of its prey. Valens dropped into a slide just as the Ursa lunged for him, lashing up at the beast's underbelly with Ineptus, his falchion, as he slid. The beast growled in pain and collapsed forward, giving Valens the chance to swing to his feet, and leap onto the beasts back. Valens drove Ineptus deep into the beast's skull, killing it.

Grün was targeting one of the Ursa who was trying to flank their group, firing arrow after arrow into the beast's thick hide. It grew angry, roared, and charged Nilima. Grun narrowed his eyes, channeled his aura, and drew back an arrow which sparked to life with gleaming red energy. He loosed it at the Grimm, who caught it full in the chest and went hurtling back into the tree's as if struck by an avalanche. Nilima backed away, behind Grün, who noticed the final Ursa rushing at them.

Suddenly, a blast of flame caught the beast full in the face, causing it to roar in pain and stagger to a stop as it swiped at the flames. It growled softly as Nilima whistled while one of the barrels of Forte's weapon vomited a bright orange inferno at the beast. The beast began to evaporate, and Nilima turned off the flame as her other two teammates stood staring at the immolated beast in shock.

"What?" Nilima asked, looking between the two as Forte's weapon disappeared, "Fire is quiet."

"So, that's a flamethrower?" Valens said more than asked, pointing to Forte.

"And a rocket launcher," Nilima said, patting Forte proudly, "And a heavy machine gun."

"How?" Grün asked as he motioned for them to continue following him.

"I know a guy," Nilima stage-whispered, "Besides, we know a little girl with a scythe/sniper-rifle, this can't be too surprising."

"She has a point," Valens agreed, "Guess you don't need that much cover then."

"Oh no, you boys are wonderful at screening me," Nilima said as she resumed tinkering with a song she'd later name "The Flaming Ursa", "If someone like Yang or Pyrrah closed with me, I'd be a goner."

"That's why you have all that," Grün said, then shot the azure songstress a smile, "I just thought you were compensating."

"Someone liked the show," Nilima said, causing Grün's gaze to snap back to the trail ahead, "No need to be shy, I do autographs." 

* * *

"And that's how I defeated a whole squad of beowulves." Gael announced, causing professor Port to chortle.

"Wonderful story, wonderful!" Port exclaimed, throwing his arms wide, "You have to meet my favorite student, Norah Valkyrie! You two would get along swimmingly."

"Hammer girl?" Gael asked, gaining a nod from the professor, "Not sure we'd get along great, but alright."

"Nonsense!" Port exclaimed, "You have the fire of a true Huntsman, just as she does."

"Thank you, professor," Gael said with a broad grin, "You remind me a bit of my mother."

"How so, young man?" Port scoffed as they finally approached the rally point.

"She was always upbeat," Gael said with a shrug, "And she had a lot of interesting stories."

"Sounds like someone is a little homesick," Port said with a pointed nod, "But I assure you, your mother would be proud of the progress you've made."

"I hope so, sir," Gael said as his ears twitched, "They're coming."

"Ah, those wonderful Faunus senses never fail to impress," Port said as the other three approached them, "Run in to any trouble?"

"Do I smell smoke?" Gael added as Nilima grinned.

"We had some problems, but now they're all dried up," Nilima said with a snicker, causing both Valens and Grün to groan.

"We ran into a few Grimm, but nothing we couldn't handle," Grün reported, then shot a look to Nilima, "Turns out she has a few more surprises in her."

"Good, more to use against the Grimm!" Port bellowed, "But I feel we've done enough for today, let's head back. And to keep us entertained, I shall recall the battle of Four Nevermore for you!"

Gael's tail wagged as he stood up straighter, while the rest of his team rolled their eyes, and they proceeded back to Beacon. 

* * *

The next day, Valens grunted as Pyrrah slammed her shield into his chest, which she followed up with a quick slash across his chest. Valens barely managed to bring his shield up in time to stop Pyrrah's next withering assault, and swung his falchion to force his opponent back. Pyrrah ducked back beneath the attack and threw her spear forward as it fired. Valens narrowly knocked the weapon aside, but Pyrrah managed to dash back in past his guard. She used her semblance to bring her spear back into her hand, and whipped it up to Valens throat.

"Done," Pyrrah said, pulling her weapon away, "Well done."

"Not well enough," Valens said as he walked her back to the lockers, "You're still amazing though."

"Oh, it's nothing," Pyrrah said, then punched Valens in the arm, "Besides, I just got lucky."

"I guess," Valens said, opening the door to the locker room for the red-haired powerhouse, "How's your team been doing?"

"Well, they've got a long way to go," Pyrrah said as he stored her equipment in her locker, "But our leader is really good."

"Doesn't seem all that skilled," Valens grumbled as he stored his own equipment and stripped off his sweat-soaked shirt.

"He has a lot of heart," Pyrrah said as she shut her locker, and looked over to see Valens back. His sun-darkened back was well-toned, but wracked with scars, some looking fresher than others.

"Still?" Pyrrah asked softly.

"Why do you think I came to Beacon?" Valens said as he donned a fresh shirt.

"Sorry," Pyrrah said, getting an annoyed look, "Right, well, I just hope things are better for you here."

"My team isn't great, but at least you're here," Valens said, giving Pyrrah a bright smile.

"Well, Grün too," Pyrrah said, smiling back.

"Didn't know him too well at Sanctum, but he's ok so far," Valens said as he closed his locker.

"Well, I have a team meeting, so I'll see you around," Pyrrah said, flashing the other shield-bearer a wave.

Valens looked after his old friend for a few seconds, shook himself, and headed out to meet his team. 

* * *

A few short minutes later Team FANG met in their room.

"So, are we about ready to talk seriously about the Vytal Festival?" Valens asked as the team took their seats in their room.

"Of course," Gael said, "I think we can do it."

"Something more important is on the docket," Nilima said, causing the other eyes to shift to her, "There's a dance tomorrow."

"Crap," Gael mumbled, as Valens shifted uncomfortably, "I never learned."

"Neither have I, but it sounds like fun," Grün added, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"I think I'll need to practice for that more than the festival," Gael said, then got up and held his hand out to Nilima, "Would you mind helping me out?"

"Oh, there is a gentleman in there somewhere," Nilima said with a sly grin and took his hand, "Let's be back by midnight, Grün might get jealous otherwise."

"He beat me to that by a hair," Grün said with a chuckle, then looked to Valens and offered a hand, "Would you like to practice?"

"No thank you." Valens mumbled and pulled out a text book, beginning a long night of study.

* * *

 **A/N: Not a lot to be said about this one. Fighting with the idea of writing a chapter about the dance just to set up various things or just kind of saying stuff happened at the dance. The first seems like unnecessary fluff, the second seems like phoning it in. Whatever, we'll see. If you like this favorite etc etc. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Dance 

"And this is supposed to be tight?" Geal mumbled as he looked in the mirror, noting that despite looking like his normal school uniform it revealed his muscles a bit more than he liked.

"You look good," Nilima said as she took in her team leader, especially his rear, and grinned, "I think you'll be fine."

"You'll be better," Geal said as he took in Nilima's azure one-shoulder dress in the mirror, "Got a date?"

"Of course," Nilima said with a mischievous grin, "I'm sure you know him, but he wouldn't be overly jealous if you walked me there."

"Glad to do so," Geal said, offering his arm to the songstress, "Is this correct?"

"Rather," Nilima said, wrapping her arm around his before they proceeded out the door and to the dance. 

* * *

Valens stood on the balcony overlooking the dark purple and blue lit dance hall with a glass of punch in his hand and a sour look on his face. He watched Geal and Nilima dance through a knot of blue balloons. He took a sip of his punch before returning his attention to Jaune.

"Why're you sulking?" Grün asked as he moved forward and leaned on the railing next to Valens.

"Not sulking, just don't want to be here," Valens said, not once turning his head to look at Grün.

"Pyrrha's here," Grün pointed out, gesturing to the red-head down below, "I'm sure if you asked her to dance, she'd say yes."

"She doesn't want me," Valens mumbled, "She wants that idiot."

"That won't change if you sulk up here all night," Grün said, noting that Geal and Nilima had finished their dance, "But it's your life." He said as he left Valens to himself. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Geal and Nilima were moving away from the center of the room, and Nilima was keeping a close on her leader's eye line.

"You like her?" Nilima asked, snapping Geal's golden eyes back to her blues.

"Not sure yet," Geal responded, "Interested, I guess."

"I'm sure she gets that a lot," Nilima said, causing Geal's shoulders to slump a bit, "But it doesn't hurt to at least talk to her."

"Might," Geal said with a nod, "But I don't want to bother anyone."

"Except me, apparently," Nilima prodded.

"I'm your team leader, it's my job to bother you," Geal said, flashing the songstress a toothy grin.

"Uh huh, well good luck on your own Mr. Leader," Nilima said as Grün approached them and offered Nilima his arm, "See you later."

"Hmm," Geal grunted as the other two moved off into the crowd. 

* * *

Valens watched as Pyrrha meandered back into the crowd from outside, and he noted that she looked a bit 'off'. Grün's words echoed through his head for a few seconds and then he took a deep breath. He moved down stairs, shoving his way through the crowd and earning a few curses along the way. Finally, he saw a cascade of crimson before him, and took a deep breath.

"Pyrrha?" Valens said, causing the other shield barer to turn towards him, "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, Valens," Pyrrha said turning to fix him with her emerald eyes, "What is it?"

"Uh, well," Valens said, fighting to regain composure under her gaze, "I just want you to know that I've…"

He was cut off by loud laughter and giggling from behind Pyrrha, and Valens eyes widened when he saw Jaune approach in a white dress with a blue ribbon on it. Pyrrha followed his gaze to Jaune and laughed.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha said in confusion as she took in her team leader.

"A promise is a promise," Jaune said with a shrug.

"Jaune! You didn't have to!" Pyrrha exclaimed between bursts of laughter.

Valens didn't stay to hear the rest, he moved quietly away through the crowd, his posture that of a defeated man. 

* * *

"Did they rehearse this?" Geal asked no one as team JNPR danced in perfect synch.

"Geal," Someone said from behind him, and he turned to see Yang clad in a snow white backless dress that nearly knocked Geal backwards, "We're dancing."

"What?" Geal asked, but instead of answering immediately the blonde grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, "So, no choice here?"

"Shut up," Yang said with a mischievous smile and began to move with the music.

"Yes ma'am," Geal said with a matching smile as he followed her lead, "Can you leave your post?"

"Wanna dance or not?" Yang asked, twirling around behind him.

"Of course," The white wolf growled as he spun around quickly and took her hands gently, gaining a surprised gasp, "Mind if I take the lead?"

"Can you handle it?" Yang said, smiling up as Geal's golden eyes locked with her lilac.

"Positive," Geal said with a smile as they twirled around the dance floor. 

* * *

By the end of the dance Grün and Nilima were one of very few couples still dancing, while Yang and Weiss started cleaning up.

Grün led Nilima out of the hall by the hand just as the lights in the hall started to come up, and they moved away towards their dorm. Just as they passed the edge of the dance hall, a voice came out of the shadows.

"Thanks, Nilima," Geal said as he emerged, holding his coat in one arm, "Didn't have to do that."

"Just don't waste it," Nilima replied as she pulled a bit closer to Grün, "We're heading to the room, take your time getting back."

"I was gonna stay and help clean up anyways," Geal said as he watched the pair leave, then mumbled to himself as he went back towards the hall entrance, "She works fast." 

* * *

Later that evening, and a bit into the morning, Ruby trudged back towards her dorm, literally waving away her exhaustion. As she passed a training ground, she heard metal impacting wood, and turned to see someone practicing in the dark. She squinted hard to make the figure out as she approached it, and finally recognized Valens as his falchion and shield glinted in the dim light. He was attacking the dummy with little force, apparently focused on his technique. His dress shirt and shoes lay discarded at the edge of the training ring, leaving him with just his undershirt, black uniform pants, and socks.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked as she approached the edge of the ring.

He swung again at the dummy, and Ruby drew her scroll and activated its light.

Valens whipped around, shield raised instinctively, but relaxed slightly once he recognized her.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked as he turned to face the dummy again and adopted a combat stance.

"I fought a chick," Ruby said, then stifled a yawn, "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Can't, gotta keep training," Valens said as he chose to thrust this time, then cursed himself for an apparently imperfect strike.

"It's after one, come on," Ruby said as she walked around him to face him, then noticed how hollow and puffy his eyes were, "Have you been crying?"

"I'm fine, Ruby," Valens said, raising his shield slightly so she couldn't see his eyes, "Please move."

"Whatever it is that's wrong, you can tell me," Ruby said as her free hand reached out and slowly tugged the shield down, "C'mon."

"Ruby," Valens sighed, allowing the Huntress to lower his shield, "You wouldn't understand, and I really don't want to get into it right now."

"You're not gonna figure it out if you drop from exhaustion, whatever it is," Ruby said, this time failing to stop herself from yawning, "I'm not going to bed until you tell me what's wrong or go to bed too."

"You win, Ruby," Valens said, sheathing his falchion, "Let's go."

"Alright," Ruby mumbled as Valens scooped up the rest of his belongings, "I'll walk you back, make sure Geal gets you to bed."

"Sure, Ruby," Valens said as she began to slump, "Come here."

"M'kay," Ruby mumbled as Valens gently took her close and picked her up, "Strong."

"Not when it counts," Valens said as he carried her back to the dorms, and a much-needed rest. 

* * *

**A/N: Decided to do this chapter despite it being mostly fluff. No combat or anything here, just sappy friendship stuff. Sorry about the lazy name.**


End file.
